What To Do In Nordegg In Summer, Alberta, Canada

There are a number of things to do in Nordegg in summer – from exploring the history of this mining town to hiking in the Rocky Mountain Foothills of Alberta, Canada.

Nestled within Clearwater County and the North Saskatchewan River Valley, you’re never too far from mesmerizing views of the surrounding hills

This post will talk about things to do in Nordegg in summer. While most of the town shuts down as temperatures plummet, there are still a few unique things to do in Nordegg in winter.

But since the sun is shining and (hopefully) mother nature Graces you with clear skies, visiting Nordegg in summer is a perfect day trip from many places in Alberta.

From thundering waterfalls to towering rocky peaks – here’s what to do in Nordegg in summer!

This post focuses on things to do in Nordegg in summer. If you’re visiting Alberta in the colder months, you’ll want to read what to do in Nordegg in winter.

The history of Nordegg, Alberta, Canada

What is the brief history of Nordegg, Alberta, Canada

Historically, Nordegg is a coal mining town. You can see many relics from those days scattered around d town (will get to them just below).

Claims were made in 1907 by Martin Cohn (who later changed his surname to Nordegg) over the coal deposits around Blackstone, Bighorn, and the North Saskatchewan River. The town of Nordegg was to have a colliery built and so the town of Nordegg was created.

In 1911, camp was set up at the current place of Nordegg and coal production began in 1912. In 1913, the railway reached Nordegg which had previously only been accessible by horseback. Production of coal peaked in 1923 as around 450,000 tons were excavated.

Skip forward to 1941. An underground explosion on October 31^st killed 29 miners who were working on mineshaft #3.

Coal production halted in 1955 as steam took over in trains and other industries. In total, around 9.6 million tons of coal was excavated from around Nordegg.

Today, Nordegg is often described as a ghost town. But there’s plenty of attractions around Nordegg, especially in the summer.

Nordegg sits at an elevation of 1287 meters. That means there are plenty of memorable views to be had in the foothills of the Canadian Rocky Mountains.

Inside the town of Nordegg, Alberta, Canada

Inside the town of Nordegg in summer has a number of things to do. Mostly centered around the history of the small town. There is also a great café to have lunch and a coffee.

Nordegg Museum and Café

What to do inside the town of Nordegg in summer

Situated in a giant yellow repurposed school is Nordegg’s probably most visited building.

Inside the doors are Nordegg’s café and a small museum. There is also a bunch of information about Nordegg and the surrounding area at the info desk.

Nordegg’s café, The Miners Cafe, is renowned for its fruit pie. You can pick from a bunch of tasty flavors like apple crisp or strawberry rhubarb. There’s also a bunch of sandwiches, wraps, and salads if you’re after lunch.

As you walk out of the café, in the middle of the hall just to the left is Nordeggs information desk – you’ll find tips on hiking, camping and a bunch of other useful and safety about the area.

The closest door to the info desk is the tiny, one-room museum of Nordegg. Relics from the historic coal mining town are displayed all around the walls and floor – from bathtubs to flags. There are a few signs to ask staff if you would like any more information about the things on display.

The final room is the Nordegg gift shop. There is a wide range of souvenirs and gifts, ranging from.local handicrafts to guidebooks.

It doesn’t take long to explore Nordegg’s old schoolhouse building – but it was worth the visit for sure.

Historic Nordegg self-guided tour

Take the self guided Nordegg historic tour

While touring the old schoolhouse, one pamphlet detailed the self-guided walking tour of historic Nordegg. There are 12 historical sites in Nordegg listed on this tour:

Your first stop on this tour of Nordegg is the Nordegg Heritage Centre. This is the yellow school building built in 1945 I’ve talked about earlier. If you look close enough, you can see where boys and girls once had separate entrances above the doors.
Just outside the Nordegg Heritage Centre shows a cut out of a Sasquatch. Not a historical site of Nordegg, but the pamphlet uses this attraction to reinforce that Nordegg is not a ghost town, rather an active community that should be respected
Pay respect to Nordegg’s Memorial Cemetery is where the mining disaster of built-up gasses cause an explosion in October 1941, killing 29 miners.
The next stop is known as the Duplexes. Originally a dairy farm turned into a recreational complex for local sports. These duplexes were built to house staff for the low-security prison of Nordegg.
Church Hill is next up, and while there’s no church on the hill (it burnt down in 1974 and was never rebuilt) Church Hill gives some great views over the surrounding mountains.
Miners Houses in Nordegg were also repurposed for security staff working in the Nordegg prison (1963 to 1995).
The next point of interest is known as the Garden City Plan. It’s one of the original streets Martin Nordegg designed, modeled after Montreal and introduced into Nordegg.
Stop number 8 is the location of Big Horn Trading Co. This store was owned by the Nordegg Mine and built-in 1944 after the original burnt down.
Nordegg had an interesting take on street names for the time. Most of the street names are named after historically significant women to the Nordegg area – with Martin Nordegg’s only daughter given Marcelle Avenue.
Nordegg’s Canadian Bank of Commerce was built in 1919 and it replaced the use of coupons used by the residents of Nordegg.
The Nordegg Roman Catholic Church was finished building in 1936. St Theresa Church still holds mass on Sundays.
The final stop on the Nordegg Historical Tour is Shanks Garage, the first privately owned business in the town. The garage is also known as the Highway Service Station and was built in 1936.

Whether you decide to walk the short distances from site to site around Nordegg or drive, there is plenty of history to be taken in.

If you’re more interested in touring the abandoned Nordegg Mine Site, ask the tourist information desk in the Nordegg Heritage Centre for dates and prices.

Things to do in Nordegg in summer - Visit Crescent Falls — Things to do in Nordegg in summer – Visit Crescent Falls

Nordegg historic golf course

Nordegg has a golf course. As you drive into town, the 9-hole course will be on your right-hand side.

With every hole you get a beautiful backdrop of green hills, you can have a memorable day through 9Historic the cost for 9 holes is a very reasonable $20 (CAD), and you can get another 8 holes for just $5 (CAD). Club rentals, powered carts, and lunch is also available from the Nordegg historic golf clubhouse.

Nordegg playground

Just across the road from the giant yellow school building, refurbished into multiple points of interest in Nordegg, sits a small playground.

This is a great place for kids to have a play around. Swings and a little BMX track are right at the edge of the road.

Around the area of Nordegg, Alberta

Sights around Nordegg is really where things start to get really memorable.

Just soaking in the Rocky Mountain Foothills is a beautiful sight in itself, but if you’re looking to get out and deep into nature, Nordegg is a great place to visit.

There are beautiful lakes, powerful waterfalls, and picturesque mountainous hiking. If a one day trip to Nordegg isn’t enough, there are plenty of campgrounds scattered around the area.

Crescent Falls in summer

What to do in Nordegg in summer in Canada

Crescent Falls is one of my personal favorite places in Nordegg to visit. It’s a unique cascading duo that churns water with a constant roar of whitewash, flowing along the Bighorn River.

Getting to Crescent Falls is fairly easy. From Nordegg, turn right ontp David Thompson Highway and drive for roughly 20 kilometers. Turn right onto AB 22, an unpaved road until you reach a carpark. If you have a 4×4 vehicle or a truck, there’s a short and steep road to your left of the carpark, and goes for a couple of minutes until a smaller carpark. This is where you park. This road is also walkable if you’re not comfortable driving down and up this road.

At this secondary carpark, you’re at the higher viewpoint level of Crescent Falls. From here, you can walk to the slower flowing river just before the upper waterfalls of Crescent Fall.

During the warmer months, this is the location of a super short but steep hiking trail in Nordegg. While it only 5takes 5 minutes to climb to where the second waterfall drops, the trail is quite difficult. There are ropes to aid you as you descent.

Hiking Crescent Falls near Nordegg in summer

Here you are between the upper and lower Crescent Falls, with a short little stream. If you’re feeling game enough, the bottom of the first waterfall is deep enough for a refreshing swim, but only go where the waterfall pushes water to the right (if you’re too far left, you risk being caught in the small but powerful river over the second waterfall).

If you’re up for a longer hike in Crescent Falls, you can walk from the viewpoint. As you drove up the unpaved road to Crescent Falls, there is a small metal ledge overlooking a clearing a little over halfway to the parking lot of Crescent Falls. There is a little path leading from here to the right, towards Crescent Falls.

Please note: I only suggest climbing down to the lower Crescent Falls if there is no snow or ice. The trail is very steep and will be very slippery.

Abraham Lake in summer

Things to do in Nordegg - Visiting Abrham Lake in summer — Things to do in Nordegg – Visiting Abrham Lake in summer

Most wouldn’t be able to spot it just by looking at it, but Abraham Lake is a man-made reservoir. At a max length of 32km and spanning 3.3km at its widest section, it is Alberta’s largest reservoir.

Although this lake is not a natural one, the same bright blue color can be seen as other glacial lakes due to the rock flour present in the water.

Abraham Lake was built in 1972 along the North Saskatchewan River and has a number of viewpoints along the shoreline.

Abraham Lake is located between Nordegg and Saskatchewan River Crossing along the David Thompson Highway. It’s about 25-minute drive southwest along the highway from Nordegg, Alberta, Canada. Sights around Nordegg is really where things start to get memorable.

Just soaking in the Rocky Mountain Foothills is a beautiful sight in itself, but if you’re looking to get out and deep into nature, Nordegg is a great place to visit.

Abraham Lake is home to a strange occurrence, that during the wintertime, becomes visible.methane from decomposing plants bubbles to the surface. In winter, when Abraham Lake freezes, these flammable gas bubbles are trapped and you can see them from the icy surface.

Hiking around Nordegg in summer

As you probably can imagine, outdoors in Canada usually means there’s plenty of trails to explore. Hiking in Nordegg doesn’t disappoint.

There are a number of great hikes around Nordegg, with most of them being at least half-day trails.

There is a short 1-hour trail from the lookout at Crescent Falls. You can begin this hike from the little metal railing to the left as you drive towards Crescent Falls. You can also hike down to the lower levels of Crescent Falls.

One of the top-rated hikes around Nordegg is hiking to Siffleur Falls. This 9.7km hike is a pretty easy trail with only just over 200 meters gain in elevation. May to October is suggested for this trail as snow and icy conditions can make it more challenging.

Allstones Lake Trail is another hike in Nordegg that often gets great reviews. This 8.4km trail begins steep and has few flat spots – you’ll gain over 660 meters in elevation and get some beautiful views if you decide to head to the summit.

Camping around Nordegg in the summer

There are a number of campsites around Nordegg to choose from. From powered sites to camping right on one of the many lakes in the area.

I’ve stayed at a few campsites in Nordegg but my favorite has got to be Fish Lake. From Nordegg, follow David Thompson Highway south for a few kilometers, you’ll turn left on Range Road 155. There are plenty of powered sites and most are first come first serve.

The name Fish Lake doesn’t disappoint and is a popular spot for those wanting to have a fish. There are 5 loops in Fish Lake Campground and all are pretty close walking distance to the lake and the Bear Essentials Store.

Another popular Nordegg campground is by Crescent Falls itself. Just by the main parking lot, you’ll find a secluded site to set up tents.

For actual campgrounds in Nordegg, West Bound Campground is just passed the downtown area of Nordegg.

Where to stay in Nordegg, Alberta

Best places to stay in Nordegg Alberta — Best places to stay in Nordegg, Alberta

Please note: some links below are affiliate links – at no extra cost, I earn a small percentage of any purchase you make. Please contact me if you have any questions.

Even though Nordegg, Alberta isn’t a huge place, there is one hostel if you’re looking for a place to sleep in Nordegg and don’t feel like camping. HI Nordegg is located a little out of the town itself (3.8km) on Shunda Creek Road. You’re looking around $35 CAD for a bed in the 8.4/10 hostel in Nordegg.